It’s rare that I ever thank past me for anything. Usually, present me makes questionable decisions that future me curses past me for. On this occasion though, past me had booked a group trip with Intrepid Travel for the last part of my big adventure. I had to give immense thanks because, by this point, I was well and truly exhausted. Being on this trip meant I was no longer tasked with having to figure out transport, accommodation, things to do, where to go, best places to eat, etc. Gil, (our tour leader), did it all. Gil was my brain and I was so grateful for that.

The trip saw us say goodbye to Mexico City and hello to Oaxaca, San Cristobal de las Casas, Merida, (although I was PMS’ing so badly during our time here, I literally experienced nothing of the town), Palenque and finally a ‘hello again’ to Playa del Carmen…

Highlights include:

• Turning my brain off.
• A cooking class in Oaxaca is a must. I’m not a big cook, (like at all!), but going to the food capital of Mexico, I felt like this was proper. I had so much fun and we got sent the recipes afterwards for us to try at home. I missed out on a mezcal farm tour and tasting but I wish I had done that!
• Visiting Sumidero Canyon in San Cris. was incredible. It’s nature showing off again and it is full of genuinely awe-inspiring vistas with some monkeys and crocodiles thrown in too. You’re cruising on this boat for hours and there is no respite from the sun so big tip here is to go all-in on the sun protection and stock up on water.
• Palenque had the incredible ruins alongside a nature tour where some people on the trip, (not me), tried termites. This is also the place where I had the best dirty chai latte of my life at Casa Nicho. I have searched high and low for a dirty chai as good as this and I cannot find one.
• Misol Ha and Agua Azul waterfalls. You know I love me some water and these were stunning.
• Chichén Itzá is mind.blowing. The whole site, (that used to be a city), is called Chichén Itzá but the big, main temple that is one of the New Wonders of the World, is actually called Kukulkan Temple. Inside this pyramid shaped temple is another pyramid temple with another one within that which is on top of a cenote. The site is some 1,100 years old and much like Teotihuacan, it was abandoned long before the Mayans found it. 80% of the site is still in the jungle and being excavated. On the equinoxes, the side of Kukulkan illuminates like a snake which was the symbol for fertility and life, (Christianity brought the idea of the serpent being bad, along with the idea that women are inferior. Until the Spaniards came, Mayan society was equal). The acoustics around the temple and the ball court mean that you can be on one side but hear the sounds from people on the diametric opposite.
• Being able to spend a fairly substantial amount of time with the same set of people.

I did this trip which has seen the itinerary change since but it still hits the places I enjoyed the most. The first time I dipped my toe in the water for travel was a G Adventures trip back in 2022 and I can wholeheartedly recommend group travel trips for 1) if it’s your first time travelling, 2) you want to travel, don’t necessarily have anyone to go with but aren’t comfortable doing it solo, 3) don’t have a lot of time off and want to hit the hot spots with as little effort required as possible.

The two weeks of this trip literally flew by. I felt like I blinked and all of a sudden it was time to leave. I stayed an extra night or two in Cancun before heading to the airport. The very big adventure that I had spent 28 years dreaming of was complete.